Isopimarane and nor-diterpene glucosides from the twigs and leaves of Lyonia ovalifolia

A Comprehensive Review of the Classification, Sources, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacology of Norditerpenes

Norditerpenes are considered to be a common and widely studied class of bioactive compounds in plants, exhibiting a wide array of complex and diverse structural types and originating from various sources. Based on the number of carbons, norditerpenes can be categorized into C19, C18, C17, and C16 compounds. Up to now, 557 norditerpenes and their derivatives have been found in studies published between 2010 and 2023, distributed in 51 families and 132 species, with the largest number in Lamiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Cephalotaxaceae. These norditerpenes display versatile biological activities, including anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties, as well as inhibitory effects against HIV and α-glucosidase, and can be considered as an important source of treatment for a variety of diseases that had a high commercial value. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the plant sources, chemical structures, and biological activities of norditerpenes derived from natural sources, serving as a valuable reference for further research development and application in this field.

20-nor-Isopimarane and isopimarane diterpenoids produced by Aspergillus sp. WT03

Five new uncommon 20-nor-isopimarane diterpenoids, aspewentins N-R (1-5), and three related known congeners (6-8), along with an isopimarane diterpenoid, sphaeropsidin C (9), were isolated from a Coptis chinensis Franch. rhizosphere soil-derived fungal strain, Aspergillus sp. WT03. The structures of compounds 1-9 were characterized based on the comprehensive analysis of the spectroscopic data, and their absolute configurations were elucidated by single crystal X-ray diffraction and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT)-ECD calculations. Compounds 1-5 represent rare examples of 20-nor-isopimarane analogues featuring a 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene and 3,4-dihydronaphthalen-1(2H)-one moiety. The biosynthetic pathway of these diterpenoids was also proposed. Additionally, compounds 1, 3 and 4 showed moderate cytotoxic activity against MCF-7, A549 and HT-29 cell lines.

Structurally diverse diterpenoids from Pieris japonica as potent analgesics

Sixteen diterpenoids (1-16) including 10 new ones, pierisjaponins A-J (1-10), were isolated and identified from Pieris japonica, and their structures were classified into eight diverse carbon skeletons. Pierisjaponins A (1) and B (2) represent the first 1,5-seco-grayanane diterpenoid glucosides and only showed 17 carbon resonances instead of 26 carbons in the ¹³C NMR spectra, their structures were finally defined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and the unusual NMR phenomena were explained. Pierisjaponin E (5) is the first mollane diterpene glucoside. This is the first time to report ent-labdane (3, 4, and 11) and ent-rosane (15) type diterpenoids from the Ericaceae plants, which provided the precursors of the Ericaceae diterpenoids and enlarged the chemical diversity of Ericaceae diterpenoids. All the 16 isolates showed potent analgesic activities, and this is the first time to describe the analgesic activities of 1,5-seco-grayanane, ent-labdane, mollane, and ent-rosane type diterpenoids. A preliminary structure-activity relationship is discussed, which provided new clues to design novel analgesics based on the Ericaceae diterpenoids.

Bioactive megastigmane glucosides and monoterpenes from Lyonia ovalifolia

Three new megastigmane glucosides (1-3) and two new monoterpenes (4-5), together with 14 related known compounds (6-19) were isolated from the twigs and leaves of Lyonia ovalifolia. The structures of the new compounds were determined by extensive MS, NMR, CD experiments and chemical methods. Compounds 2, 6, and 18 displayed potent antiviral activity against Coxsackie B3, with IC₅₀ values between 6.4 and 14.6 µM. Additionally, compounds 6, 10, and 11 exhibited noteworthy anti-inflammatory activities, with inhibition rates ranging from 54.55% to 83.33% under the concentration of 10^-5 M.

Diterpenoids of terrestrial origin

This review covers the isolation and chemistry of diterpenoids from terrestrial sources from 2017.